1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a building accessible to persons, which comprises at least one constructional element forming walls of a space within said building, which element is tubular and which is at least substantially made of wound-together layers of a strip of sheet material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Such a building is known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,796 (Richards). Said U.S. patent discloses a construction system wherein a collapsible, rotatable mold is used to eventually form a tubular constructional element which makes up the walls of the building. The tubular constructional element consists of inner and outer layers of a rigid material, such as fiberglass, with a filling material having thermally insulating properties present therebetween.
One drawback of the building which is known from the aforesaid U.S. patent publication is the fact that, because of the amount and the nature of the materials being used, namely a sandwich construction of fibreglass and filling material, it is relatively complicated and thus relatively costly, which makes the known building unattractive from an economic point of view.
The object of the invention is to provide a simple yet elegant and inexpensive building which is accessible to persons, which comprises at least one constructional element, and in order to accomplish that objective, a building of the kind referred to in the introduction is characterized in that said constructional element is at least substantially made of wound-together layers of a strip of paper/cardboard, wherein each layer is at least substantially made up of a corrugated sublayer and a flat sublayer affixed to one side thereof. The wound-together paper/cardboard layers are interconnected via a glue which has been applied to ridges of the corrugated sublayers. Thus, very strong walls are obtained in a simple yet elegant manner, which walls have excellent insulating properties, due to the xe2x80x9ccellular structurexe2x80x9d of the corrugated cardboard which is used.
In one preferred embodiment of a building according to the invention, said constructional element forms a cross section of the building. More particularly, at least two constructional elements are provided for enlarging the building, which constructional elements are interconnected via an adhesive (glue) applied to their respective longitudinal edges. When identically shaped standard constructional elements are used, a xe2x80x9cmodularxe2x80x9d construction of the building is possible. It is advisable to provide the constructional element with a weather resistant coating, which is in particular also flame resistant, so as to make the building optimally fire-resistant.
In another preferred embodiment of a building according to the invention, the constructional element can be folded from an at least substantially flat position to an erected position, and vice versa. Preferably, the constructional element comprises weakened spots, in particular cuts, which function as hinge points, in order,to make it possible to fold the constructional element from said at least substantially flat position to said erected position, and vice versa. Unlike the construction system disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,796 (Richards). It is now possible to transport constructional elements according to the invention from a production location to a destination in a flat transport position, that is, a position in which they take up little space. Consequently, the location where the present constructional elements are produced does not have to be the location where the constructional elements are used to form a building, as is the case with the prior art constructional elements.
In another preferred embodiment of a building according to the invention, the constructional element can be folded from an at least substantially flat position to an erected position, and vice versa. Preferably, the constructional element comprises weakened spots, in particular cuts, which function as hinge points, in order to make it possible to fold the constructional element from said at least substantially flat position to said erected position, and vice versa. Unlike the construction system disclosed in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,730,796 (Richards). It is now possible to transport constructional elements according to the invention from a production location to a destination in a flat transport position, that is, a position in which they take up little space. Consequently, the location where the present constructional elements are produced does not have to be the location where the constructional elements are used to form a building, as is the case with the prior art constructional elements.
In another preferred embodiment of a building according to the invention, the constructional element is impregnated, in particular with a resinous material. The impregnation preferably takes place by vapor deposition, spraying or otherwise, wherein said vapor deposition or said spraying takes place in a direction parallel to the direction of the xe2x80x9ccellular structurexe2x80x9d of the corrugated paper/cardboard being used. The advantage of said impregnation is not only the fact that it provides protection against external influences, such as moisture, but also that it increases the structural strength. In principle, fewer layers of corrugated paper/cardboard are thus needed in order to give the present constructional element the required strength, so that the constructional element can be produced more quickly and at lower cost.
The invention furthermore relates to a method of producing a constructional element for a building according to the invention, wherein a continuous strip of sheet material is supplied, which strip is attached to a forming mold with one end and subsequently wound round said forming mold and cut off, characterized in that the continuous strip of sheet material is a single-faced corrugated paper layer, to which a film of glue is applied on one side, in particular to free ridges of the corrugated paper. The single-faced corrugated paper layer consists of a single flat sublayer and a single corrugated sublayer, and the single-faced corrugated paper layer is wound with its flat sublayer abutting against the mold.
In another preferred embodiment of a method according to the invention, the single-faced corrugated paper layer is supplied from a supply roll or directly from a machine on which the single-faced corrugated paper layer has been formed from originally two continuous flat paper layers.
The invention furthermore relates to a constructional element for use in a building according to the invention.